A bone screw is provided for securing a medical device to bone. The bone screw can engage with a bone screw hole in a medical device, such as an anterior cervical plate or sternal closure plate. Embodiments of the bone screw can include a screw head, a smooth cylindrical shaft region, a first and a second cylindrical shaft region with external threading, a tapered shaft region with external threading and one or more recessed flutes, and a sharp tip without threading or fluting. The external threading in the first and the second cylindrical shaft regions can have different pitches and crests. The external threading on the tapered shaft region can be tapered.